When Having a CSA Box Starts to Suck

I really like my CSA box, but now that the months are getting colder, the selection is getting less and less diverse. Sure, eating seasonally sounds really good when you’re getting a variety of peppers, eggplants, strawberries, and other stuff, but when you realize it’s going to be all kale all the time for a few months it suddenly doesn’t sound so hot.

Last week I received chard, tat soi, kale, and arugula. The greens are beautiful, but the prospect of figuring out new and interesting ways to cook a box full of them every week makes me want to say F seasonal eating, I’ll buy whatever I want at the supermarket. But I’m sticking with the box through the less glamorous growing season and trying not to be a jaded little brat by remembering to be grateful I have access to any local produce throughout the winter months.

Martha Rose Shulman’s excellent book on vegetable cookery, Mediterranean Harvest, has helped me stay inspired. She has great recipes for greens, like a potato and greens galette, and a classic Spanish tortilla which I hid some kale in. I also made her roasted cauliflower with chermoula, an easy and fast prep for the often bland vegetable.